Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS

Opinion Articles

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Has Apple just patented the touchscreen?

Mark Bridge writes:

Imagine a mobile phone that can’t be built without the permission of Apple. Impossible?  Unrealistic?  Not necessarily.

This week, Apple was awarded US patent 7,966,578. It’s an application that was originally filed at the end of 2007, almost a year after the iPhone was first revealed. The patent covers the way in which a mobile phone’s touch-sensitive screen responds when touched.

Although the patent doesn’t cover the invention of the touchscreen itself, it does cover the way a touchscreen works when you use it - and some people are concerned this could give Apple control over the way many current smartphones are designed.

In effect, it covers ‘multi-touch’: for example, using two or more fingers to zoom into an on-screen image.

It seems the big questions now are:

Will it hold up in court?  A judge could rule against Apple in the event of any legal action.

Is there any way round it?  It looks as though the patent covers the theory rather than the technology of multitouch, but I’m no patent expert.

What will Apple do next?  Patents are increasingly used as bargaining chips by technology companies - “you show me yours and I’ll show you mine” - which could give Apple enormous power over longer-established mobile businesses.

And perhaps most importantly...

How will Apple’s competitors respond?  Will we see a rush of legal cases as mobile companies aim for a ‘first strike’ against Apple - or will we see new innovation that bypasses the multi-touch screen. Speech recognition. Virtual reality. Projected keyboards. Video glasses.

Some mobile phone manufacturers could soon be facing a battle for their existence - but we could also be on the verge of a golden age of technology development. Litigation or innovation?  We’ll just have to wait and see. I can’t imagine we’ll be waiting long.

[United States Patent; Macworld.com]

Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
No rating

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Recent Podcasts

Podcast - 20th January 2010

The Fonecast this week covers text message donations, free calls to government helplines, distracted driving, legal action, consolidation... and all the other major mobile industry headlines as well.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 13th January 2010

This week the team takes a look at product announcements from the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas before diving into the rest of the week's mobile industry news. And Faisal Sheikh from Fone Doctors offers his perspective on the Google Nexus One.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 6th January 2010

Happy New Year! We're back from our Christmas break with a quick look at the new Google Nexus One, a browse through all the other top mobile industry headlines and a review of 2009.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 23rd December 2009

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge take their usual look at the biggest mobile industry news stories - and this week they also predict what's likely to be hitting the headlines in 2010. In addition, they review their 2009 predictions... and discover they did pretty well.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Podcast - 16th December 2009

This week's news headlines include the Google Nexus One smartphone, 4G technology, hands-free driving and (once again) the iPhone. There's also an interview with Mark Finlayson from business-to-business dealer Next Communications.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First7071727375777879Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«December 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
2526272829301
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
303112345

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement